K.T. Hammond Files GH 30m Defamation Suit as NPP and NDC Regional Contests Heat Up

In a series of escalating legal and political developments, Kobina Tahir Hammond, the immediate past Minister for Trade and Industry, has filed a GH 30 million defamation lawsuit against Prime Mark Company Limited, publishers of The Herald, and journalist Larry Alans-Dogbey. The suit follows a publication alleging Hammond’s involvement in a US$1 million bribery scandal related to AKSA. Meanwhile, internal dynamics within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are intensifying as former General Secretary John Boadu officially launched his bid for the National Chairmanship. Boadu stated his primary objective is to leverage his 30 years of organizational experience to return the party to power and secure a parliamentary majority to support Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s presidential ambitions in 2028.

Tensions within the NPP are also manifesting as public critiques of state institutions and local governance. Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, the MP for Effiduase Asokore, recently condemned the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) for its investigation into an anonymous commentator known as ‘Ghana Jollof,’ labeling the bureau’s methods as lacking investigative rigor. Simultaneously, in Tano North, MP Dr. Gideon Boako and Frank Annoh Dompreh challenged local authorities to account for the District Assemblies Common Fund. While distributing motorized spraying machines to cocoa farmers, the MPs criticized the neglect of farmers’ welfare, emphasizing that substantial public funds must be matched by visible local development and accountability.

On the opposition front, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is seeing fresh activity in its strongholds. Dr. Stanley Nelvis Glate, a lecturer at Ho Technical University, has declared his candidacy for the NDC Volta Regional Secretary position, vowing to rebuild party structures and restore grassroots confidence. However, political discourse has turned volatile in Gomoa Central, where former MP Rachel Appoh has publicly accused current MP Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A-Plus, of responsibility for recent violence. Appoh alleges that a land dispute demonstration funded by the sitting MP led to three deaths and several injuries, highlighting the increasingly precarious nature of local political rivalries.

These events unfold against a backdrop of growing concern over the decline of civility in Ghanaian public life and the stagnation of critical infrastructure. Social commentators have noted an erosion of manners in political debate, driven by hyper-partisanship and social media hostility. This institutional strain is further evidenced in the Upper West Region, where legal practitioners are protesting a 26-year-old regional High Court project that remains abandoned. While the Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has recently promoted several officers for exceptional service in crime prevention and fire rescues to boost public trust, the legal fraternity warns that the lack of modern judicial facilities continues to hinder the delivery of justice in the north.